


Backslash

by Nelja-in-English (Nelja)



Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Community: ladiesbingo, Dark femslash week, Do Not Archive, Dreams and Nightmares, Dreamsharing, F/F, Minor Character Death, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-20
Updated: 2018-10-20
Packaged: 2019-08-04 18:55:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16352300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nelja/pseuds/Nelja-in-English
Summary: Of course Mary's dreams come. They can't have the decency to be buried under a pile of other nightmares. Not that Gertrude takes many statements live these days, and these ones are always stronger, invasive bits of frozen horror.As always, Gertrude watches.





	Backslash

Of course Mary's dreams come. They can't have the decency to be buried under a pile of other nightmares. Not that Gertrude takes many statements live these days, and these ones are always stronger, invasive bits of frozen horror.

As always, Gertrude watches. 

She's meant to feed of Mary's fear. She hates these dreams, but it's not like she can change them. Here there is almost no fear - controlled, hidden under ambition. It should be better for Gertrude.

Count on Mary to make things worse anyway.

Mary is a child, not even fully Claimed yet, and she still cut a woman's throat with a razor - the woman was certainly a monster, but it doesn't justify Mary's smile, as she's winking at Gertrude. We share the joys of watching, says this look, but you could learn to like this too.

Gertrude certainly could, but she has better to do with her time. It's not like she won't be killing anyway, when it's needed.

Mary's growing into a young woman so disappointed by the Artefact Storage collection. Gertrude remembers meeting her at this point. She was haughty and very clever, and pretty in her own way. Gertrude feels strangely vulnerable, looking at her so young, while she's an old woman. It should be the reverse, really, but Mary always knew how to confuse and blur the lines. Despite her sharpness, or thanks to it.

Like she's making of her offering to the Eye a position of power right now. She's that good.

Mary's killing again, again, and again, writing on people's skin, then taking it and torturing their ghosts, with small variations, just to experiment, to see what she can and can't do. Gertrude watches all of it. She can't share _their_ fear but that somehow makes it worse. Like they're just props. 

It was never for her. But Mary still delights in her dream presence, in the link between them. Gertrude tries not to.

She will need to take a long bath after this, she knows, and it's not about dream blood and grime, she's long used to that. It's about Mary's dark soul and the way Gertrude's still reacts to it, after all these years.

Good thing she's no longer young. It used to be worse. It used to be not only her soul but also her hair and lips and delicate waist.

Sometimes she longs to give her a taste of her own potential for darkness, to stop the masquerade of the passive old knowledgeable lady. She can't in the dream, of course, but she wants to go to her, to compel every one of her darkest secrets... and of course it's irrational, she would be giving more than she would be taking. 

Mary always did this to her. Tempt her to act all wrong.

Mary seduces one of Gertrude's assistants. Gertrude sort of knew. Not the specifics, though, and as Mary's getting naked, she's still looking at Gertrude, provocation and triumph in her eyes. She does the same when she kills him.

Did you love him, she would ask Mary, like him at least, or was it just a way to hurt me? And answering would hurt Mary's pride, whatever the actual reply would be.

It lasts a few weeks, and then the dreams stop. Gertrude knows what it usually means, but she can't actually believe it. Mary was stronger than that.

And of course, going to the Institute, she passes her old friend on the street, with all new tattoos. Mary winks at her again. I've won, she seems to say.

We're on the same side, Mary told her. It's a wonder they manage to dislike each other so much, but never to ignore each other. Also, she was more right that she thought. Claimed by the Eye, but ready to betray It when needed. Mary was not subtle about it. Of course, Gertrude has to, being the Archivist. Maybe she's a little bit jealous of this too.

At least the subtle way works.

Gertrude knows that at one point they will meet again. She has a good understanding that the only reason she can probably win is that Mary underestimates her, has never really stopped. She should never know what hit her when she's betrayed hard.

In the meantime, you can count on her to make even the fantasy of defeating her frustrating.

Yes, that's exactly how Mary is. Gertrude is deeply annoyed, but the smile on her face is almost a fond one.


End file.
